Messing Library

Mr. Lay's TLC study group has been reading SPARK: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by Dr. John Ratey, whose research into the benefits of exercise on the brain has drawn national attention recently. Articles have appeared on the covers of the latest issues of both U.S. News & World Report and Education Week (requires login) touting the benefits of exercise on academic performance.

Ratey's study and the recent articles highlighting it suggest through extensive research that exercise has a direct effect on the brain and can help fight memory loss, depression, attention deficit disorders, addiction, aggression, and Alzheimer's, among many other common conditions. You'll find many of the practices mentioned already fully integrated into the MICDS Physical Education curriculum (led by Department Chair Lay).

SPARK includes an extensive look at the physical fitness program at Naperville Central High School and the accompanying evidence to link exercise to improved brain function (and test scores) in education. The Education Week and U.S. News also highlight the benefits gaming has for young and old minds alike (Nintendo in particular).

February 12th marked the annual MICDS Faculty Professional Day that gives students in all grades a day off school and faculty a day to meet and learn with colleagues. Between meetings, faculty and staff had a 90 minute break and were able to choose from a variety of PDC-sponsored activities, including a demonstration of the gaming capabilities built into the new Messing Library floor plan.

The main question in the library that day: "Why Wiis in the library?" The answer: The library was designed to provide the opportunity for programming beyond the school day. One of these planned opportunities was the use of 5 Nintendo Wiis for community gaming events. Wii events in Messing Library use only games that require collaboration between individuals or groups and are designed to drive foot traffic into the physical library space and online traffic to the virtual library space (www.raminfo.org).

Library users can become familiar with library resources in many ways... one is through extracurricular community events that familiarize users with library spaces (both physical and virtual).

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS

February 12th marked the annual MICDS Faculty Professional Day that gives students in all grades a day off school and faculty a day to meet and learn with colleagues. Between meetings, faculty and staff had a 90 minute break and were able to choose from a variety of PDC-sponsored activities, including a demonstration of the gaming capabilities built into the new Messing Library floor plan.

The main question in the library that day: "Why Wiis in the library?" The answer: The library was designed to provide the opportunity for programming beyond the school day. One of these planned opportunities was the use of 5 Nintendo Wiis for community gaming events. Wii events in Messing Library use only games that require collaboration between individuals or groups and are designed to drive foot traffic into the physical library space and online traffic to the virtual library space (www.micdslibrary.com).

Library users can become familiar with library resources in many ways... one is through extracurricular community events that familiarize users with library spaces (both physical and virtual).

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS

Blog Post -- "What is digital citizenship?"
By Wesley Fryer from techLEARNING.com

We hear a fair bit about "Internet safety" in educational technology circles today, and more schools are starting to address online safety issues with students. Many of these presentations do not delve into the rights and responsibilities which accompany technology use, however, as discussions about digital citizenship naturally invite. Rather than simply tell students "don't talk to strangers" and "don't reveal personal information" online, educators need to be discussing (as the ProTechT teachers are with their students) issues surrounding the ethical uses of digital technologies and the impacts those uses can have not only at a personal level, but also on larger scales... CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

The 27 student-generated questions he lists could be good questions for advisories.

"I'm fiscally conservative, but for everything else I'm liberal."

"I love planets."

"Where's my planner?"

"Mr. Dieffenbach, am I going to fail?"

"If Hillary wins, I'm moving to Cuba."

"Something's wrong with this computer!"

"Why do you like him for president? Do you even know the issues?"

"Is that the music from the MacBook Air commercial?"